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One moment in time with Tara Neale

1 May 2017

Welcome to one moment in time, a guest posts series, where bloggers share the stories behind special or significant photographs. Joining me for the first week is the lovely Tara Neale, you can find Tara over at the Frugalfam's blog where she hopes you find something that will help your family to save money, eat healthier, and just enjoy your time together.

Not a lick of make-up. The grey showing through at the roots. Comfortable clothes. Exhausted beyond belief and dark circles under my eyes to prove it. Not exactly glamour shots, folks!

But this is still one of my favourite photographs of me with my life partner. We had been together a little more than a month and this is one of the first photographs of us together. Because it says it all…

Life is a roller coaster!

And no amount of money or good looks or intelligence can smooth out all those highs and lows…not to say they can’t help sometimes. Even the best, prettiest and richest have their troubles.

Goodness knows I had had mine. I was fifty-one. Twice married. Six children. The only one of whom still lived at home was high-functioning autistic. I was a struggling romance writer who had given up on love.

Then he came into my life. I swear if I ever actually wrote our real-life love story, I could not dream up a hero more perfect for us. He was and still is my Prince Charming. A man who not only loved me, but has the patience of a saint with my daughter. Honestly, no one would believe it even if I could find the words to describe…magic.

That day was a final ‘test’ of sorts. We had already woken up early and travelled hours by train. Then we had dragged the special needs buggy all over the amusement park in the wake of my daughter and her carer.

To top that off…we both HATE roller coasters. But my daughter begged and pleaded. So together we climbed abroad…the kiddie one. Yes, that picture is taken on a children’s ride. But the terror on my face is genuine.

Thing is…that if life is like that roller coaster…ups and downs, travelling past so quickly that you lost your stomach and your nerve on the last curve, and all you can do is hold on tight and do your best not to…

Well, if life is like that roller coaster…then there is no one else in this world that I want in the car with me. No one else I want to hold to so tightly.

It has been almost a year since that photo was taken. And we have had our ups and downs, but we have managed through the whole ride to hold tightly to one another. Tighter even than that day.

So yes, life maybe a roller coaster, but it’s not so bad when you have the right man on the ride with you to hold onto. For dear life.

I love you more today than I did then, my beloved Cookie Monster.

What a great analogy and Tara is right when life has thrown me some twists and turns or flipped us upside down I have been very glad to hold my lovely hubby's steady hand too.